A fundamental objective in orthodontics is to realign a patient's teeth to positions where the teeth function optimally and aesthetically. In general, various types of appliances, such as bite plate and expansion device, are applied to the teeth of the patient. In conventional approaches, each device is welded to two or more molar bands that are secured on molar teeth. Such conventional approaches have several disadvantages. First, the molar bands for securing one appliance should be removed when the dentist wants to mount a new appliance since each appliance is welded to at least two molar bands. Removing and installing molar bands require considerable skills and effort of the dentist. Also, the used molar bands are discarded with the appliance since the molar bands and the appliance are designed to fit to only a specific patient and typically prepared by an experienced dental technician before the patient visits the dentist. Thus, the conventional appliance designs produce waste in terms of material and efforts.
Second, the dentist has limited flexibility in treating the patients, i.e., the dentists cannot change the treatment procedure easily once an appliance is mounted to the patient's teeth. Furthermore, the dentist cannot easily change the type of appliance or modify the appliance in his office, and, as a consequence, the treatment procedure may be extended if the pre-fabricated appliance has a defect or does not perfectly fit to the patient's dental configuration. As such, there is a strong need for orthodontic devices that can be mounted/dismounted without removing the molar bands from the molar teeth of the patient.